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Saturday, 28 January 2017

Words by Dan Chabert: 2017 started running ahead of us and now is a great moment to start running along with it. Prepare your New Year’s Resolutions and tie your shoes, it’s time to run.

Challenge yourself this 2017 for a healthier, more active and exciting year. Whether you’re looking to run extra miles, drop some seconds from your personal record, or just get started in running; setting goals will give you something to look forward to.

Consider running as your first option for achieving your goals this year. Losing weight, increasing overall health, enhancing durability and staying fit are all goals that can be achieved by running.

Basics of Running: Gearing Up and Starting

One the many great aspects of this activity are the few requirements it has. Probably the largest investment a novice runner will have to make is that of a good pair of sneakers and regular sportswear. For the shoes, I recommend that you buy decent running sneakers that fit you comfortably. You don´t want to come across with a sprained ankle or sore feet later on due to poor quality equipment. Quality goes over quantity when it comes to running shoes.

Once you got your gear sorted out, it´s time to set the plan in motion. Choose a place to start is completely up to you. You should select an ambient where you feel comfortable with. A park should be an excellent option for initial training. Some people prefer to start on the treadmill, which is a good idea if you have access to one. While treadmills offer features such as speed and inclination, running outside is completely fine as well. Don’t feel obligated to join a gym; remember running is a free sport. However, if you’re already in the gym, adding weight training your routine is a plus.

Getting Stronger Every Day

So, your gear is set, your laces are tied, and you’re ready to run. Don’t forget that everyone is a beginner once. Some people expect to be able to complete a triathlon in a week, and are hugely disappointed to find out exercise requires effort.

20 minutes for your first cycles should do the trick, three times a week so your body catches the rhythm. You can gradually increase the intensity and frequency of your training sessions; however, be aware of your limits. You’re not trying to get yourself injured within the first month. Increase your mileage or speed at a controlled rate.

As you progress, you will get stronger and more confident in your capabilities. You´ll start to need fewer walking rests and notable changes will appear. Not only will you to start to look better, but you’ll also start to feel better. If you’re going serious on your running goals, start measuring your progress. Keep a record of your times, mileages and other aspects of your running. Keeping track of your progress is a great source of motivation.

You started running, and you can’t help it but to feel awesome (and healthy). You’ve already got used to the feeling of your feet striking the floor; keep on it!

Toe to Toe with 2017

Imagine yourself by the end of the year when you have finished your 2017 running program. Not only you will be noticing the changes, those around you will also be able to notice them. When they ask you for your secret, you’ll tell them how awesome running is.

Don’t think of running as a hobby. Making it one of your priorities will give a healthy turn to your life. It’s not just losing weight; you’re doing your body a favour. Let running become a part of your lifestyle.

Ask yourself how badly you want to accomplish your goals. Most people don’t want it badly enough, and that’s where they fail. Many beginners quit under the excuse that they’re not physically fit; truth is they’re not psychologically fit. Determination can compensate for the lack of physic condition, and running is an activity that can be performed by almost anyone. Kids, seniors, men and women are all perfectly capacitated to run.

5 comments

I figured this wasn't your writing style (quite a few errors and weird phrasings), but that wasn't made clear until the end... I love your blog and have nothing against sponsored posts, but am a tad disappointed to see a post that's both sponsored and not even written by you. You've mentioned 'Guest post' in your post titles before, so why not here?

Hi Manon, thanks for your comment and apologies for any confusion. There are some main differences between Guest and Sponsored Posts which I've summed up below:-

Guest posts are written by people that I personally know (friends, fellow bloggers etc), and I accept these free of charge, mainly to help out other bloggers who want to promote their own blogs and reach new readers, and bloggers/friends who have kindly offered to do product reviews for me.

Sponsored posts are different from Guest Posts as they are paid for by a company or brand (such as the one above) and these are always, always defined as such at the end of the post to give full disclosure. Sometimes brands ask me to write them, other times they employ a freelance writer to do it instead. However, I didn't realise that my new website layout doesn't add the writer bios anymore at the top, and only includes them at the end. To rectify this, I've added the writer's name at the top of the post so that's clearly visible that it hasn't been written by me before you click on it, and I've also put #ad in the title to make it even more transparent.

As a general rule, I very rarely accept sponsored posts (I think I've only published two or three including this one in the last 2 years?!), but I do accept them every now and then to pay for essential basics like domain and hosting costs (I accepted this one to pay my web designer for the new layout). Unfortunately I'm not a full-time blogger and I don't make any profit from running this site as I hate pop up and wraparound ads (I also don't include any affiliate links), so sponsored posts come in handy to pay for the costs to keep the blog up and running as I wouldn't be able to afford these myself on a student budget!

Hope that clears things up and if you have any further queries, feel free to comment again or email me :) Evelyn x

Thanks for your kind and elaborate explanation! I get it now, and appreciate how you've made the 'ad' character of the post more explicit :) I fully understand how sponsored posts are welcome every once in a while to help cover your costs, so absolutely no worries about that. Keep up the good work - been a loyal follower for years and will remain one ;)